Apparatus for treating painted or varnished articles



Patented Jan.6,.19 20.1'

'4 SHEETS-SHFEI I 0. M. CUN LIFFE.

APPLICATION FILED DEC-27. 1916 APPARATUS FOR TREATING PAINTED 0RVARNISHED ARTICLES.

V c; M CUNLIFF EL- APPARATUS FOR TREATING PAINTED OR VARNISHED ARTICLES.

Patented Jan.6,1920.

APPLICATION FILED DEC-27, I916- 4 SHEETS*SHEET 2.

C. M. CUNLIFFE.

APPARATUS FOR TREATING PAINTED 0R VARNISHED ARTICLES. APPLICATION FILEDDEC-27, I9I6.

1,327,313, Pate nted Jan. 6, 1920.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

I n 22 1 /3 20 I C. M. CUNLIFFE. I APPARATUS FOR TREATING-PAINTED 0RVARNISHED ARTICLES.

' APPLICATION FIL ED DEC-2T. I915. 1,327,313, Patented Jan. 6,1920.

4 suns-s nger 4.

U ITED STATES PATENT OFFICE- CICERO M. CUNLIFFE, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN,ASSIGNOR TO AMERICAN BLOWER COMPANY, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, A CORPORATIONOF'NEW YORK.

' AZPPARATUS FOR TREATING PAINTED on VARNISHED ARTICLES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 6, 1920.

Application-filed December 27, 1916. Serial No. 139,201.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CICERO M. CUNLIFFE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Detroit, in the county ofWayne and State of Michigan, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for V TreatingPainted r varnished Articles, of

which the following is a specification, ref.- erence being had thereinto the accompanying .drawing.

, This invention relates to an apparatus forv treating articles havingapplied thereto an application of wet paint, varnish, enamel, or thelike, whereby to properly dry, cool, and harden the painted, varnished,or enameled surfaces. of such articles.

In the art to which the invention relates,

many attempts have been made to properly and quickly dry freshlypainted, varnished or enameled articlesof furniture and the like, andWhile many of these efforts have been successful to an appreciableextent, none with which I am familiar have proven entirely satisfactory,because-of certain disbenzin and naphtha being retained in the oven, andthese vapors, being all that really vaporize from the paint and varnish,fre

quently cause the finished article to have light and dark shades,regardless of the original color of the paint or varnish, and

also the coating is found to be more or less brittle, and frequentlyscales off in ,flakes.

It has also been largely the practice in the paint or varnish drying artto employ in connection With the drying chamber, both forced and naturalcirculation of air into and through the chamber, and in either case dustis often stirred up and brought in contactwith the painted surfaces.Again, the draft or current coming in contact with the wet paint orvarnish causes the formation of ripples or Waves. Still further, the direct contact of the articles with the current of air tends to destroythe luster of the finished product; if not over the entire surface, overcertain portions thereof, making it necessary to refinish the articleuntil the proper finish and luster is acquired.

In all prior systems which have been considered more satisfactory forthe desired purpose, the processes at best have been exceedingly slow,requiring considerable time for cooling the articles after the firstcoat before the same can be handled for a second coat, and after. thelast coat had been applied, it was the general rule to letthe articlesstand several days before the same could be wrapped or packed forshipment,

and during certain times of the year, the

finish would even then becomesticky, thus leaving marks of the packing.

It 1s one of the primary objects of the present invention to provide anapparatus for the treatment ofpainted or varnished surfaces to overcomethe above and other existing objections, and With a View to producing atough, durable, elastic surface, with even luster, which will retain itscolor in any climate, and make possible the completion of the drying andhardening proc- I ess in much less time than has heretofore beenpossible. I v

' VVhile itis contemplated by thepresent invention to treat painted orvarnished articles generally, the apparatus has been extensively andsatisfactorily employed for the finishing of metal beds, it having beenascertained that beds may be successfully enameled in pure White Withoutany variation in color over the entire surface. It has also beenascertained that -the present apparatus results in a greatsaving'int1me,

and that the finished surface will have absolute-1y no tendency to scaleunder anypressure or under any condition of treatment or use; -Thenagain, thcvfinished surface will be continuous and smooth, and devoid ofthe customary streaks, globules, etc.

In carrying out the present invention, it is contemplated to employa'drying chamber, and one of the objects of the invention is to providemeans whereby the air for drying purposes is properly treated pnor toits admission into the chamber whereby to cleanse he a r fr m dust anddlrt, and

drying chamber. I I By the improved apparatus, it is also convide 'meanswhereby the necessary volume of air is employed to carry off thevolatile matter as fast as it vaporizes n the templated to prevent theair admitted into the drying chamber from directly striking under forceany of the painted surfaces of the article being treated during theprocess of drying or oxidizing, and in this connection, it is proposedto allow the air as admitted into the drying chamber to expand into anunoccupied space of considerable area above the article to be treated,and.

. allow the air after it has lost substantially all of its velocity tosettle down in mass formation upon and gradually envelop the article tobe treated in an atmosphere of even temperature and relative humidityWith noperceptible movement.

In the successful drying. of painted or varnished articles it has beenproven to be absolutely necessary to avoid any apparent or appreciablevelocity of the drying medium, usually treated air, as otherwise thepaint or varnish will dry unevenly and delicate tints will be discoloredin spots. A

very important feature of the invention therefore resides in theprovision of an air space of considerable area above the articles underprocess of treatment, and in-providing means adjacent the point ofadmission of the air into the container for diffusing and throwing the.jair off in all directions horizontally whereby to cause the air tolose its velocity before it begins to settle down somewhat similar tothe settling of a fog down in the atmosphere. This feature of theinvention is also important in that it results in an equal distributionof tempera ture throughout the entire treating chamber whereby everyportion of the surface of the article will be treated-alike. f a

The invention further embodies means whereby the air, so soon as itbecomes saturated or chilled, is ,rapidly removed from thedrying'chamber, and in a manner to revent any stirrin' upof dust or theike within said chamber. y

In carrying out'this feature of the invention, it is contemplated toprovide an extended outlet or outlets at the base of the containeradapted to deliver the air into a chamber surrounding the container,from which, through the medium of an exhaust fan or the like the air isejected. This chamber, assuming a plurality of abutting treatingcontainers are employed, acts as an insulating medium with theresultthat one treating room or container will be substantiallyindependent of its neighbor and while of setting the paint and varnishand mcreasing its luster. 1

More particularly, the invention includes means for accuratelyregulating the air both as to vdlume and temperature, and means for theindependent release of the humidlty in any drying chamber of the seriesemployed, whereby any of said chambers may be used at will for drying,oxidizing and cooling.

The invention further embraces a substantially closed drying chamber forthe painted or varnished articles, said chamber having an air inletadjacent the top thereof and an air outlet adjacent the base thereof,means whereby the air prior to the introduction into the chamber issubjected to washing and purification, subsequent heating, and meanswhereby the treated air as introduced into the chamber is caused tosettle in mass formation without velocity upon the article, togetherwith means whereby ceoled air may be directly introduced intosaidchamber;

In thisway, the heated air will volatilize the oils in the paint orvarnish, with the proper degree of humidity to keep the surface moistuntil all of the oils'are volatilized, and after sufficient time haselapsed to evaporate the oils, chilled humid air may be directlydischarged ,into the. chamber to quickly harden the finish before it hasa chance to again absorb any of the volatile oils; This treatmentresults in producing a fine luster, retaining the same perfection of thecolors as when applied, and still maintains the desirable elasticity ofthe finish with the hardness, so that it will not crack by expansion orcontraction when subsequently subjected to heat or cold. 7

Still other and further objects and improvements and novel details inthe construetion 'and arrangement of the various partsof-the apparatuswill be understood by those skilled in the art from the description tofollow, which, for a clear understanding of the invention is to beconsidered in connection with the accompanying draw ings, which form apart hereof, and wherein is disclosed for the purpose of illustration, aconvenient and satisfactory embodiment of the invention, though it is tobe borne in mind in this connection, that many minor changes may be madein-the construction and arrangement of partswithout departing from thespirit of the invention. 7

While it is one of the main objects of the invention to provide anapparatus useful primarily in the treating of metal articles, .forinstance, beds having wet paint, varnish, or enamel applied thereto,still the invention is useful in many other connections and has provenhighly satisfactory in the drying of painted or varnished automobilesand parts thereof, and various articles of furniture.

In the description, and claims, wherein the terms paint, varnish, enameland the like are employed, it is understood that these terms aregeneral, and are not to be construed in a limited sense, but rather toinclude any painting or finishing preparation or material for beds,articles of furniture, etc.

In the drawings 1- Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improvements.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the same.

Fig. 3 is a sectional vieW. I

Fig. a is a front elevation; and

Figs. 5 and 6 are detail views.

With more particular reference to the drawings wherein like referencenumerals refer to corresponding parts throughout the several views, oneor more drying chambers are provided, two being shown for the purpose ofillustration, it being desirable at times to dry articles in .onechamber while certain of the finished articles are simul taneouslysubjected to a cooling action in the other chamber. These chambers arepreferably elongated and have a bottom wall 1, a top wall 2 and sidewalls 3. Suitable end walls 4 and 5 are provided, one or both of whichpreferably take the form of movable doors whereby to permit of entranceand delivery of articles before and after treatment. I

The air to be delivered into the drying chambers, which latter may begiven the reference characters a and b respectively, is first subjectedto proper treatment to thoroughly wash and cleanse the same and regulatethe temperature thereof, whereby to obtain the most satisfactoryresults, and with this in view, an inclosed casing 6 is preferablyarranged at one side of the chamber a. A suitable power driven fan orblower 7 of any approved type is arranged adjacent one end of the casing6, the same being adapted' to force the, air from the outside into andthrough the casing and into the drying chambers. -The casing 6 isdivided into various compartments, and adjacent the im let end thereofis arranged to a suitable air Washer and purifying means preferablyincluding a tank 8 to which is connected a centrifugal pump or the likeadapted to discharge water into a system of spray pipes 8l havingdischarge nozzles 8 whereby the water is atomized into a fine mist andthe air current as it passes through this mist will become saturated.The saturated air then comes into contact with deflecting plates 8 vconveniently zig-zag in construction and arrangement, whereby the airW111 ease members.

become freed of dust, dirt or other foreign matter which will stick orcling to the plates to be thereafter washed down into the sump tanktherebeneath. Other types of purifiers therein a heating coil 'or coils.9 around which the air passes, whereby the temperature of the air israised above thefreezing point in zero weather. The air as it leaves thetemperature regulating chamber =9 is adapted to followone-oftwocou-rses, and

to this end the. forward end of the casing 6 is divided by ahorizontally extending partition 10 thereby dividing the casing at thisend into an upper heating chamber and a lower cooling chamber.Theupper'heating chamber 11 is provided with re-heating temperaturetransmitting coils 12. I

Leading from the forwardoutlet end of the casing 6 andadapted tocommunicate with'the chamber- 13 beneath the partition 10 is a suitableduct orconduit 14 projecting upwardly over theside-of the heatingchamber a, and thence across the topof the chamber and adapted tocommunicate at 16 arranged substantially midway 'between the sides ofhev chamber 6, and forming a 15 with a horizontally extending chamberwith the top of said chamber 1) a closed conduit substantiallycoextensive with the top of the chamber 7). An auxiliary conduit 1 isarranged at the side of the conduit 14,

and leads from the lowerchamber 13 of the casing '6 upwardly-over theside. of the heating chamber a and thence over the top of said heatingchamber and communicates at its end with a horizontally disposed chamber18 similar in construction to the chamber 16 heretofore described.

Conduits 19 and 20 project upwardly from the top of the casing 6 at apoint 1n communication with the heating chamber 11, the said conduitsconnecting the one with the conduit 14 at thepoint 14 and the other withthe conduit 17 at; the point 17 A suitable valve 20 of any .desirableconstruction is adapted .to regulate the air. admitted from to entirelyclose. communication between :A- similar valve 21 is adapted .to controlor regulate the airadmitted from the conduit 19 into the conduit 14: orto entirely closethis means of communication between thes members.

Likewise, valves 22 and 23 respectively are arranged in the conduits 17and 20, being the same in principle and operation as the chamber 13 intothe conduit14, or

the valves 20 and 21 respectively heretofore described. Extendinglongitudinall of the chambers a and 6 upon the top wal s thereof aresuitable outlet air conduits 24 adapted to discharge into a chamber 25projecting transversely over the top walls 2 of'the drying chambers andcommunicating with an outlet pipe 26, which may communicate with theoutside, or may have draft appliances of any approved 'type, and notnecessary to illustrate herein. Arranged Within the chambers a and b aresuitable auxiliary side walls, flanges or diaphragms 27, the latterbeing arranged adjacent to, but spaced from the side walls 3 andextending from the top wall2to a point adjacent the'bottom wall 1, thespace between the lower edge of the side walls 27 and bottom wall 1being relatively narrow, whereby to providea restricted by-passbetweenthe chambers a and b and the chambers 27 formed by the walls 3and 27. The chambers 27 are adapted to have communication with theconduits 24: through the medium of suitable apertures in the top walls 2of the chambers a and b, the said apertures being illustrated at 28 andbeing arranged at suitable intervals throughout the length of the topwalls 2.

The top walls 2 are provided with suitable openings 29 arranged atsuitable intervals throughoutthe length of the same and substantiallymidway of the sides thereof, whereby to establish communication be tweenthe chambers a and b and the chambers 18 and 16 respectively. Theopenings 29 are so spaced as to give the most even distribution of theair into the chambers in and b. that is obtainable. Arranged below eachof the openings 29 is a suitable hori-' zontally disposed disk 30 of adiameter somewhat greater than the diameter of the openings 29 andpreferably cone-shaped. The disk members30 are preferably adjustablysupported through the medium of a stem 31 threaded into a suitablebracket 32 upon the top walls 2 of the heating chambers whereby toregulate the entranceof the air into the chambers a and I; through theopenin 29.

It being understood that the drylng chambers a and b are of a heightconsiderably above that of the articles to be treated, whereby toprovide thereabove an extended distribution space of considerablearea,'said space being generally represented above the dotted lines a,the operation ofthe invention herein contemplated may be described asbeing substantially the following.

The" articles to be treated, say for in stance,'bed frames,havingapplied thereto a coating of paint, varnish, enamel or the like,are placed within the chambers m and b when the end doors are closed,whereby to provide substantially air tight compartments. 'The air to beused'm the drying process is properly conditioned by passing through theair washer or purifier which removes any dirtor dust, and the airbec0mtherein the reheating coils from whence thesame is discharged trough the conduits 19 and 20 into the conduits 14 and 17, which lattercommunicate with the longitudinally extending conduits 16 and 18,: Fromthe conduits l6 and 18, the air is forced through the openings 29 intothe treating-chambers,

the air being of the proper temperature to accomplish the evaporatingfunctions. As the air leaves the openings 29 in the top of the dryingchambers, it will be immediately deflected horizontally, through themedium of the deflecting members 30 and allowed to expand into the largespace orexpanding chamber above the articles to be treated. In the saidexpanding chamber, the air will become thoroughly distributed and willexpend its velocity with the result that the" same will settle downradually, in mass formation and envelop the articles without anyperceptible velocity, and without-any tendency to stir up any dust thatmay be in the treating chamber. The heated air as between the heatingchambers a and b and' the chambers 27 between the side walls 3 and thevertical diaphragms or aprons 27,

, is arranged in depth so as to maintain slight static ressure in thedrying chamber, and, with the arran ement illustrated the pressure beingequa ized, the velocity down and over the article is not perceptibleuntil it comes to the narrow outlet at the base of the side walls orflanges 27,whe'n the airdue to the action of the draft-appliance 26moves rapidly through the chambers 27, conduits 24, and outlet 26 to thepoint of discharge.

The air outlet space provided between the Walls 3 and 2 7 of the dryingchamber acts as an insulation against adjoining chambers or-the"surroundin, r room, and doesnot aflect the temperaturein either ofthe drying chambers, so that cold air may be. forced into one dryingchamber while hot air is being forced into the next adj acent chamberwithout reducing the temperature in the drying chamber. The .diaphragins2'2 like ,it is brought into association with the artithe walls ofthe'drying chambers a and b are preferably formed of sheet metal. Byproviding a number of closely associated openings 29 in the top wall ofthe chambers a and b for the admission of air and having the elongatedslots along the floor for the escape bf air, there results a thoroughlyeven distribution of the air and an even temperature in all parts of thedrying chamber. The airspace between the chambers has the effect ofinsulating one chamber from the other with the result that one chambermay be heated while the other is cooled without afiecting the desiredtreatment in the respective chambers.- treatment may be continued in onechamber while another chamber is open for the purpose of introducinginto, or removing therefrom, the articles to be, or which have beentreated.

The articles to be treated are maintained in the closed chamber andsubjected to the drying operation of the heated air, say from two tothree hours, according to the particular application, when the valves 21and 23 are closed and the valves 20 and 22 are opened, thereby admittingthe cool air directly from the chamber 13 into the chambers a and I)through the inlets 29 heretoforedescribed. The cool air being nearlysaturated when it comes in contact with the-articles, the painted orvarnished surfaces are rapidly cooled, thereby producing a very finefinish and increasing the luster and hardnessof the surface.

Very satisfactory results have been accom- I plished by having the airleave the washer or purifier at a relatively low temperature, say fromsixty to seventy degrees and satll rated, and when the heated air leavesthe heating chamber and enters the drying chamber, the same maybe andpreferably is approximately 240 or thereabout. In prior systems adaptedfor the purpose to whichthe present invention is intended, it wasconsidered impossible to subject the varnished articles in the dryingprocess to a higher temperature than 190, owing tothe tendency to causediscoloration of the lighter tints, resulting in streaking, etc. In thepresent system, while the oils in the varnish may be vaporized atabout130 with fairly satisfactory results, it .is possible to carry thetemperature as far as 240, and the char- "acter of the finish is 'justas perfect as when treated ata lower temperature, and because of thehigh temperature, thereresults a'considerable reduction of the timenecessary to dry the 7 time usually required for this purpose. When theheated air comes incontact with the article, say at a temperature ofabout the temperature will drop and the relative humidity be increased.1

This droppinguntemperature and rise in Then again, the desired'surrounding air cham ling dampers as well varnish, approximately 50% ofthe humidity prevents the paint from skinning, and allows the same torun out evenly over thearticle. In the cooling operation, the

saturated air tends to give the article a finer and better gloss orfinish. v

- The finished product treated substantially asabove described will befound to have a continuous smooth even distribution of the fimshingmaterial, entirely free fromf spots, streaks, blemishes ordiscoloration, and regardless of the uses to which'the' articles are putthere is no likelihood of the paint or varnish scaling. Then again, be--dition on completion of the treatment either to be stored, 'or wrappedand shipped, regardless of the temperature, without any re sultantinjurious eifectupon the finish. The

.above meritorious results are largely due to the large air spaceprovided by the heating chambers above the articles positioned in thechambers, and the diffusion-of the air in all directions horizontallyinto said vacant,- space, wherebythe air settles down'withoutvelocityand envelops the articles under the treatment. Then again],O byreason of the chambers are insulated from the effect of outsidetemperatures, or from the effect of a neighboring-chamber, assuming itis desired to continue the drying operation in one chambersimultanaously with the cooling operation in the. adjacent chamber.While the treated air down and envelops the articles in then-gatingchamber-without-velocity, the elongated outlet at the floor or base ofthe chamber permits the spent airto be rapidly removed through themedium of the fan as referi jd to. A

The volume of. air introduced into "each chamber may be controlledindependently of the volume off air introduced into another chamberthrough; the medium ofthe valves or dampers and also by regulating thespeed of the fan which. forces the air into the chambers. Likewise, thetemperature of the air may be nicely regulated by'thecontrolas by theregulation of steam pressure in the heating pipes.

Because of thepeculiar arrangement of conduits, and the regulatingvalves, it will be appreciated that the varnished articles ers, thetreating may be first subjected to the heating process whereby tovolatilize the removing the articles from the chamber, chilled humid airmay be discharged into the chamber tothereby quickly harden the finishresulting inproducing the desirable luster, etc. a

The apparatus herein described may be found useful in carrying out themethod described and claimed in my copending applioils, and withoutcation-for Letters Patent filed December 27 916, Serial No. 139202,"entitled Art at ducing air into said chamber through said inlet, andmeans for deflecting horizontally said air so introduced'whereby thesame will settle down in mass'formation upon the article within thecontainer,the top wall of the container being spaced vertically from thearticle to be treated and the space below the deflecting means-beingunobstructed whereby said air after losing substantially all of itsvelocity contacts with the article; 2. In an apparatus of the characterdescribed, the combination of a substantially obstructed-spaceofconsiderable area above closed container having an air inlet at thecenter of thetop thereof and an air outlet at the. base thereof at apoint spaced laterally from the inlet, said container being providedwith an unobstructed-space of considerable area above the article tobe"t re ated,-means.

for deflecting the air laterally in. said space, said means constructedandarranged to permit the air to thereafter settle without ve-- locityupon and over the article to be treated, and means'for" causing the airafter treatment to rapidly escape through the outlet opening.

3. Inan apparatus fortreating varnished articles, the combination ofaclosed conta'iner having an air inlet at the top thereof, said containerbeing provided with an unobstructed space of considerable area'above thearticle to be treated, means for deflecting the air laterally in saidspace at a point adjacent the inlet, and means forwashingand-purifying'the air prior to its introduction through said inlet, saidcontainer having an airoutlet at the base thereof at a point spacedlaterally from the inlet.

.4. f In an apparatus for treating varnished articles, the combinationof a closed container having an air inlet at thetop thereof, saidcontainer being provided with an unthe-articleto-be' treated, means fordeflecting'the' air laterally in saidspace at a point adjacent theinlet, and means for washing and purifying the air prior to itsintroduction through said inlet, said container having an air outlet atthe base thereof, and means for heating said Washed'and purified airprior to its introduction into the container.

5,. In an apparatus for treating varnished articles, the combination ofasubstantially contemplated rather than the treated, means fordeflecting the air laterally in said space at a point adjacent theinlet, and an air outlet adjacent the base thereof, air

purification means arranged without the container and adapted to act ontheair prior to its'introdu'ctlon into the container, and heating meansinterposed betweensaid air purification means and the container foracting upon the purified air.

In' an apparatus for treating varnished articles, closed drying chamberhaving an air inlet adjacent the top thereof, and an'air outlet adjacentthe base thereof, air purification means arranged without the containerand adapted to act on the air prior to its introdu'ction into thecontainer, heating means interposed between said air purification meansand the container for acting upon the purified air, bypass means wherebythe purified air may be introduced into the container prior to heatingand a deflector in the chamber immediately below the inlet and spaced aconsiderabledistance above the article under treatment.

- In an apparatus for treating varnished I articles, the combination ofa container hav ing an air inlet at the top thereof and an air outlet at-the base thereof, means for deflecting the air late'rallyasintroducedinto the at a considerable-distance. above the normal iWiH hgh said inletpurified airinith a heated or cool state, 7

8. In an apparatus for treating varnished articles, the combination of acontainer havthecombination of a substantially container, which saidmeans is disposed.

' position of the articleto. be treated in the container, and means forintroducing at ing an air" inlet at the'top thereof and an air outlet atthe base thereof, meansfor introducing at will throughinlet purifled air.in either a heated or cool state, and means forv laterally deflectingsaid air so soon as introduced and said means being constructed and.arranged to permit theiair to therea-fter envelop the article to betreated without perceptible velocity, the deflecting outlet at the basethereof, means for /intro-' 1 15. nfeans being disposed at aconsiderable dis-' tance above the'normal position'ofthe ar-.

ducing at will through said inlet purified? air in elthera heated orcool state, anddeflector means for causing said air as"intropassdownwardl be treated without perceptible Velocity,

'125 duced to move first laterally and thereafter and envelop thearticle the outlet atthe base of the container extending substantiallythroughout one of the sides thereof.

10.'In an apparatus for treating varnished articles, the combination ofa container having an air inlet at the top thereof and an air outlet atthe base thereof, means for introducing at will through said inletpurified air in either a heated or cool state, deflector means forcausing said air as 1n-- troduced to move laterally and thereafternished articles, the combination of a con-v I tainer havin an air inletat the top thereof and air out et at the base thereof, meansfor'introducing at will through said inlet I lyin'g the inlet andseparated by an unob purified air in either a heated or cool state,means for laterally deflecting said air as introduced, said meanspermitting the air to thereafter envelop. the article to be treatedwithout perceptible velocity, the outlet at the base of the containerextending substantially throughout one of the sides thereof, an airchamber projecting over one wall of the container in communication withsaid air outlet, and suction means in communication with said airchamber.

12. In an apparatus for treating varnished articles, the combination ofa substantially closed container for the article, the top Wall of whichis removed a considerable distance from the top of the article to betreated, an inlet in the top .wall of the container, diffusing means atsaid inlet causing the air to deflect laterally and lose its velocity,an air chamber projecting over one wall of the container, draftappliances operatively associated with'said air chamher, and one wall ofthe container having an opening at the base thereof in communicationwith said airchamber.

13. In an apparatus for treating varnished articles, the combination ofa container for the article to be treated having an inlet adjacent thetop rthereof, means forming an air chamber in communication with saidinlet, air cooling and moistening means arranged within' said" chamber,and temperature increasing means arranged within said chamber in thepath of said cooled and moistened air, and. a deflector directlyunderstructed space a considerable distance above the normal position ofthe article in the container.

14. In an apparatus for treating. var-.

nished articles, the combination of a container for the article to betreated having an inlet adjacent the top thereof, means forming an airchamber in communication with said inlet, air cooling and moisteningmeans arranged within said chamber, temperature lncreasing meansarranged w1 th1n said chamber, valve control means whereby the air maybe introduced into the chamber without being subjected to the action ofthe temperature increasing means in the path of said cooled andmoistened air, and a deflector directly underlying the inlet andseparated by an unobstructed space aconsiderable distance above thenormal position of the article in the container.

' 15.. In an apparatus for treating var-' nished articles, thecombination of a container for; the article to betreated having an airinlet adjacent the top thereof, the treating chamber formed by thecontainer being constructed and arranged whereby to leave anunobstructed space of considerable area above the article, ahorizontally disposed deflector within-the chamber ad acent the inlet,means forming an air chamber in communication with said inlet, aircooling and moistening means arranged within said chamber, temperatureincreasing means arranged within said chamber, and a pump at the inletend of said air chamber.

16. In an ap aratus for treating varnished articles, t e combination ofa closed treating chamber, an air chamber having washing and dryingmeans therewithin,-

means for introducing the treated air under force into the upper portionat the center of the treating chamber and for rapidly discharging thesaturated or chilled air from the base at the side of the chamber.

17. In an apparatus for treating vannished articles, the combinationv ofa closed treating chamber, of a height to provide an unobstructed spaceof considerable area.-

above the normal position of the article to be. treated therein, an .airchamber having washing and drying means therewithin, means forintroducing the treated air under force into the upper portion of thetreating chamber and for rapidly discharging the' saturated or chilledair-from the lower portion of'thechamber, and'means within the treatingchamber for causing the. air as introduced to lose its velocity in saidspace before enveloping the article to be treated.

18. In an ap aratus foritreating Varnished articles, the combination ofa closed container, means for introducing heated air into the container,means for interrupting the flow of said heated air intogthejcontainer,and means for introducing cool -air into the container, and a deflectorpositioned within th container and adapted to diffuse the air whenintroduced thereinto in' either a heated or cooled state whereby nishedarticles, t .sta'ntially closed container'forthe. article,

;nished J thereof, and an air outlet at the base there- 0f,'means. .forintroducing at will through 'sald inlet air infl either a heated orcooled state, 4 means within the container adjacent the inlet forfirstfdeflecting the air laterally and then permitting the same to falldownwardly into contact with the article, and an air chamber projectingover one wall of the container; in*co' outletli 20. In an a unicationwith said air nis'hed arti ESQP'lQhQC mbination ofv a .con-

i tainer, an airco 2e v container, and outlet adjacent-the thereof at apoint ll if in he "nlet at the top.

" i i nished-'.articles, the combination of a container havinganinlet inthe top thereof midway ,between the sides v 'being'spaced upwardly-j aconsiderable dis-- nished articles, the combination duit communicatingwith thetopof the c1 'aine'r, an air chamber for both-heated 'and''cool; air, and means for in;

trodu'cing at will heated-or cool air into. said 0011 tainer'havin .1anloutlet at the base thereof and means.- or causing the air discharged:from the outlet t'ofltravel over the outs de y Y tamer-having an inletin the topthereof .slrbstantially- {midway between 'the sides thereof,the top Wall 'of the contai'ner beingv uit from said chamber,'said con:

of one ofthe walls of the container. i 21. In an apparatus.- fortreating vars of a container having an inlet inf the top thereofsubstantially midway between the-sides of the same, the top wall of thecontainer beticle to be treated, {an adjustable'diffusing elementunderlying thQ'inIet opening of the tainer having an air said "consteads,'the acontainer having an inlet} in the top thereof substantiallyat itscenter; the topl. wall ofl'the' container tance'above thenormal'pos'ition' of the artijwcle t be treated, adifiiusing'f'element-under- 1' 5 lying'the inlet opening of thegcontainer and adjacent thereto; alligair chamber, "overlying .a sidewalloffthe container, and the con.-

tainer having an equatinthe lower portion thereof leading directly'intosaid air cham- -ber..v v 1 t I a .123; In can apparatus'forjtreatingfvarthe combinationjof' a suban air chamber, means within the chamberdividing the'same into a heating and coolconduit, an auxiliary branchpipe leading from the cool air chamber to the conduit, valve controlledmeans for said pipes, and

the article only after it with the top leading from the heated airchamber to the ppalr atus 'rfor treating 'varing spaced upwardly aconsiderable dis-' tance above the normal *position of the 'arg Q Q mang vararticles. 'such as bed- 7 ably above the space to be occupied bythe article under treatment. 124,. In an apparatus for treatingvarnished articles, the combination of a sub.

stantially closed container for the article,

an air chamber, means within the chamber dividing the same into aheating and cooling chamber, a conduit in communication of. thecontainer, a branch pipe conduit, an auxiliary branch pipe leading fromthe cool air-chamber to the conduit,

valvecontrolled means forsaid pipes, a dif-,

fusing element arranged at the inlet of the container adapted tointercept andlaterally deflectthe air on its in'troductionint'othecontainer, said element being positioned .a

considerable distance above the normal p0 1- p Q tion of the article,and air purifying means I at the inlet end of the air'c'hamber}; ,25; Inan apparatus for treating varnished articles, the combination of aconspaced upwardlya considerable" distance above the article to betreated and a diffusing element underlying the "inlet opening I of" thecontainer, substantially as and for the purposedescribed, and means ford1s-' chargingthe air introduced at the. top at a wall ofthe container.

-26-. In an apparatus for] treating varsubstantially 4 thereof, 1 thetop wall of the container being I I spaced upwardly a considerabledistanceabove the'article to be treated and a diflus ing elementunderlying the inlet opening of thecontainer,substantially as and forthe I, purpose described," and means for adjustably supporting saiddiffusing element. 2 In an apparatus for treating var.-

nished articles, thecombination of a container having an inlet in thetop thereof substantially midway between the "sides thereof, the topwall of the container being spaced upwardly a considerable'distance'above the article to be treated and a difl'usmg element underlying theinlet opening of the container, substantiallyas and for the purposedescribed, inclosing: walls for the side walls of the containerspacedlaterally therefrom to provide air passages, the side -walls of thecontainer having an extended outlet at the base thereof leading to saidpassages.

28-. In an apparatus for treatmg varnished articles, the combination ofan elon gated horizontally disposed container, a longitudinallyextending centrally disposed conduit arranged on the top wall of theconconduit for introducing properly treated air thereinto, a pluralityof inlet openings in the top wall of the container in communica tionwith said conduit, and a deflector underlying each of said inletopenings substantially as and ,for the purpose described.

.29. In an apparatus for treating var-- .nished articles, thecombination of an elongated horizontally disposed container, alongitudinally extending centrally disposed conduit arranged on the topwall of the container,'1neans in communication with said. conduit forintroducing properly treated air thereinto, a plurality of inletopenings in the top wall of the container in communication wlth saidconduit, a deflector underlying each of said inlet openingssubstantially as and for the purpose described, auxiliary conduitsarranged on the top of the container extending longitudinally thereofadj acent its sides, means forming air chambers extending over the sidesof the container and in communication with the auxiliary conduits, theside walls of the container having outlet openings at the base thereofin communication with said air chambers. A

30. In an apparatus for treating varnished articles, the combination ofan elonga'ted' horizontally disposed container, ;a longitudinallyextending centrally disposed conduit arranged-on the top wall of thecontainer, means. in communication with said conduit for introducingproperly treated air thereinto, a 'plurallty of inlet openings in theto'p'wall of the container in communication with saidconduit, avdeflector underlying each of said inlet openings substantially as andfor the purpose described, auxiliary conduits arranged on the top of thecontainer extending longitudinally thereof adjacent its sides,meansforming air chambers extending over the .sides of the container theauxiliary conduits, the side walls of the container having outletopenings at-the base thereof in communication with said air chambers,and air exhausting means in communication with said auxiliary conduits.

31. In an apparatus for treating varnished articles,- the'combination ofa pair of elongated horizontally disposed containers separated from oneanother by air spaces, a conduit positioned onthe topw l of eachcontainer extending, longitudinally thereof intermediate the sides ofthe container, a plurality of openings in the top wall of each containerin communication wi said conduits, an air chamber adjacent. oneend ofthe containers and a conduit in communicaand in communication withthereof in communication with the separat ing air spaces. I

'32. In an apparatus for treating varnished articles, the combination ofa pair of horizontally disposed elongated containers,

the top walls of which have-a plurality of air inlet openings arrangedintermediate the sides of the container, a longitudinally disposedconduit on the top Wall of each container in communication with saidopenings, an air chamber, and'means dividing said air chamber into aheating chamber and a cooling chamber, means establishing communicationbetween the air heating chamber and said conduits and means establishingcommunication between the aircooled chamber and said conduits.

33. In an apparatus for treating varnished articles, the combination ofa pair of horizontally disposed elongated containers,

.the top walls of which have a plurality of air inlet openings arrangedintermediate the sides of the container, a longitudinally disposedconduit on the top wall of each container in communication with saidopenings, an air chamber, and means dividing said air chamber intowheatirig chamber and a cool ing chamber, means establishingcommunication between the air heating chamber and said conduits andmeans establishing communication between the air cooled chamber and saidconduits, a valvecontrol for each of the two last mentioned means, anair space between the containers and an outlet adjacent the base of thecontainers communicating with said air space.

3 L In an apparatus for treating varnished or enameled bedsteads and thelike,

the combination of a container ot a height to receive the article in thelower portion thereof and constructed to leave an unobstructed air spacethereupon, a horizontally extending conduit arranged on the top Wall ofthe container, means in communication with said'conduit for introducingproperly treated air thereinto, the top wall having a substantiallycentrally disposed opening in tending over one side of the container andin communication with the auxiliary conduit, the container having anoutlet opening adjacent the base-and communicating wit said side airchamber.

' 35. In an, apparatus for treating varnished or enameled bedsteads andthe like,

' the combination of a pair of containers, the

top walls of each of which having an air inlet opening adjacent thecenter thereof, a

conduit positioned on the top Wall in comspace therebetween and an airoutlet adja- 10 munication with said inlet opening, an air cent the basethereof in communication with chamber, means dividing said air chambersaid air space.

into a heating chamber and a cooling cham-c In testimony whereof Ihereunto aflix my ber, means establishin communication besignature inthe presence of two Witnesses.

\ tween the air heating 0 amber and said con- CICERO M. GUNLIFFE.

duits, and means establishing communica Witnesses: tion between the aircooled chamber and said H. M. ZERBE;

conduits, the-said containers having an air W. E; SMITH.

